Yuzu Arisugawa was carried back to her apartment by Senpai Ryotan last night.

The Shinkura family was worried, but Sadaharu Kaneda, who had been brought in, swore to heaven that it was a very healthy drink.

Yuzu Arisugawa had to go to school for the training camp early the next morning, so she had to go home tonight. Ryotan Kobayashi, acting as a reliable senpai, gained the Shinkura family’s trust and took her back to the apartment.

However, she woke up on the way.

After reporting her safety to the Shinkura family, she remained silent—what Ryotan Kobayashi called post-disaster social death.

She sat in the middle of the back seat, Ryotan Kobayashi to her left, and Eisuke Shi, gazing out the window in thought, to her right.

The atmosphere remained strangely tense until they reached the apartment, and everyone went to their rooms.

Today was a bright, sunny day with a cool breeze and pleasant sunshine.

The Totsuki Academy first-years, with a heavy mood that didn’t match the bright sunshine, gloomily boarded the bus to hell.

To shine, or to fall behind.

At Totsuki Resort, they headed towards different futures.

Souma Yukihira looked up at the towering glass hotel. “As expected of a rich school, it even operates such a luxurious hotel.”

Zenji Marui pushed up his glasses and started explaining, “Dozens of hotels nearby operate under the name Totsuki Resort. Many Totsuki Academy graduates choose to work here.”

Shun Ibuki’s long bangs covered his eyes even when he looked up. “I heard that a regular suite here costs 80,000 yen a night.”

Everyone was shocked; the monthly dorm fee at Polar Star Dormitory was also that amount.

Souma Yukihira stubbornly tightened his face. “I’m not shocked.”

Megumi Tadokoro: “You clearly are shocked.”

Yuzu Arisugawa waved to the receptionist. “I remember that the regular suites share a bathhouse. I’m not used to that setup in Japan. Can I stay in my room?”

The hotel manager, recognizing her, quickly approached. Though the hotel was being used for exams, business would continue afterward.

The manager bowed slightly. “Of course, Ms. Arisugawa. It’s just that the rooms are all within the hotel; the school isn’t strict about that.”

Megumi Tadokoro’s eyes widened in confusion. “Yuzu’s room is here? Isn’t this a hotel?”

The manager explained, “The top floor of the hotel is a fixed room bought by a top-tier member. It’s like a hotel-style apartment, saving VIP guests the time of making reservations; they can stay anytime. We clean it every day.”

Souma Yukihira gave up on maintaining his composure. “Yuzu, you’re the rich one!”

Everyone nodded vigorously.

Yuzu Arisugawa pushed her suitcase forward, sighing. “Even rich people worry about failing exams. I’m a little nervous. I’ll go to the assembly point. Please take care of my luggage.”

A female staff member took the luggage, and the manager led her to the assembly hall.

The hall was covered with a thick, clean red carpet. Golden stripes were neatly arranged on the edges of the red curtains that hung vertically from the windowsills to the floor, increasing Yuzu Arisugawa’s nervousness.

Students arrived one by one, but they all remained silent.

The silent atmosphere was uncomfortable; no one could relax.

Everyone realized what was about to happen: “Hellish training.”

—Elimination-style training.

Yuzu Arisugawa hated this atmosphere, but as one of the atmosphere creators, she could only take a deep breath and pray silently.

“Nanao, bless me, let me pass the exam!”

“Oh, Yuzu, we’re here~”

There she was! The first person with no tension.

The atmosphere became even stranger after everyone noticed her.

Mito Meat Demon, the Meat Invader who had been conquered by Souma Yukihira’s beef donburi, said solemnly, “Souma, be careful.”

Before Souma Yukihira could ask what to be careful about, the teacher in charge began speaking into the microphone, and everyone’s attention shifted.

The six-day, five-night training camp officially began the moment Chef Chapelle took the stage.

The first-year students were divided into groups, each led by a guest lecturer.

All the guest lecturers were outstanding graduates of Totsuki Academy.

The so-called Totsuki Academy graduates were the geniuses who had emerged from the single-digit graduation rate.

Yuzu Arisugawa, like everyone else, focused on the footsteps approaching from behind the curtain.

The glittering light from the crystal chandelier settled in her green eyes, her eyelashes casting a shadow. Yuzu Arisugawa calmly withdrew her gaze.

They were all familiar faces: Chef Mihara from F, Chef Kanshu from Ginza Niji…

They were all chefs from restaurants she frequented.

Before, she was a customer; now, she was a student waiting to be slaughtered on the cutting board.

Life is truly unpredictable.

Yuzu Arisugawa sighed deeply.

Megumi Tadokoro exclaimed, “Amazing, they’re all people I see in monthly magazines.”

As soon as she finished her comment, a hand landed on her shoulder. Megumi Tadokoro met Yuzu Arisugawa’s smiling face. “If we all pass this exam, I’ll take you all to eat at these teachers’ restaurants.”

Souma Yukihira’s face quickly appeared in her field of vision. “Really! I’m looking forward to it~”

Ryoko Sakaki waved her hand, glancing at the teachers on stage. “That’s too extravagant. They’re all very expensive restaurants…”

Yuki Yoshikawa wanted to agree, but Yuzu Arisugawa said ominously, “It’s fine. Consider it revenge for making us this nervous. Let’s make them so busy they can’t stop!”

“Arisugawa-san,” a terrifying voice came from behind, “Even if you want revenge, you have to pass the exam first. Here, you’re just a student.”

Not to be outdone, Yuzu Arisugawa turned around, smiling proudly. “Okay, Senpai Shiroma.”

Hinako Inami, the gentle-voiced chef from Kiri no Ya, smiled and took Megumi Tadokoro’s and Yuzu Arisugawa’s hands. “Don’t mind Senpai Shiroma. You must come to my restaurant after it’s over.”

Perhaps to give the fledgling cooks a shock and a goal, and to broaden their horizons, the top chefs who led the country’s culinary scene, led by Gin Dōjima, the head chef and board member of Totsuki Resort, were almost all present.

The groups were reshuffled. Yuzu Arisugawa’s group’s teacher was Hinako Inami, and her partner was a familiar face.

Her lunch partner—Meimi Akutagawa.

Megumi Tadokoro looked at Souma Yukihira with emotion. She had no confidence in herself, but she had immense confidence in Souma Yukihira.

Yuzu Arisugawa: I understand, I understand.

Yuzu Arisugawa didn’t look further; she should focus on herself.

“I remember Meimi said you’re good at grilling, right?”

Meimi Akutagawa’s tone was full of conviction. “That’s right. And with Yuzu-sama by my side, I can definitely perform at 200% of my ability. I won’t let Yuzu-sama be eliminated!”

“It’s best not to jinx it.”

“Okay!”

Yuzu Arisugawa wore the same white chef’s uniform as most people, her long golden hair tied in a high ponytail with satin, her bangs fixed with a metal rabbit hairpin on one side.

Before the assignment was announced, she couldn’t resist taking off the hairpin, smoothing her bangs twice before firmly clipping it back on.

Meimi Akutagawa, secretly observing, squealed internally: Yuzu-sama, even nervous, is incredibly cute!

“Alright, everyone, I’ll be sitting here. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.”

Teacher Hinako Inami sat at a table by the door, happily eating snacks.

The assignment: Create a Japanese dish using the available ingredients. The available ingredients were in the natural backyard, within the fenced area of the hotel, visible through the windows of the cooking classroom.

Incredulous voices rose in the cooking room; this assignment required them to find their raw materials from scratch. In this classroom, only seasonings, oil, and fishing rods were available.

Hearing the sound of the stream flowing nearby, everyone chose to go fishing.

Meimi Akutagawa leaned close to Yuzu Arisugawa and whispered, “Yuzu-sama, shall we make grilled fish? But everyone seems to be planning that.”

Yuzu Arisugawa, looking at the empty classroom and Teacher Hinako Inami, who was smiling and waiting for her to act, pulled Meimi Akutagawa outside. “Let’s look for low buildings nearby. There should be poultry farms.”

“I only remembered when I saw the poster by the door. I ate at this restaurant before. They specialize in natural, fresh ingredients, supposedly all homegrown, so there must be free-range poultry.”

This exam tested the cooks’ adaptability and knowledge of ingredients, but experience and insight were always a cook’s weapons.

With everyone focused on fish, they were worrying about how to deal with the crucial fishy smell without other ingredients.

Most people’s fishing skills were similar and unskilled, relying solely on luck, which would waste precious exam time. Yuzu Arisugawa directly ruled out this option.

Knowing her immaturity in cooking, she chose to lower the difficulty in other areas.

Eisuke Shi was right; in cooking, mastery of one leads to mastery of all.

Yuzu Arisugawa, at St. Mary’s Academy, from the Perfect Dessert Competition to the practical experience on the Champs-Élysées, had more experience than anyone.

Souma Yukihira had practical experience facing countless customers, but Yuzu Arisugawa not only had practical experience but also the elimination-style experience unique to competitions.

Pre-competition nervousness was normal, especially in an unfamiliar field, but quickly getting into the zone was something she knew well. She quickly made arrangements.

While searching for poultry, they also gathered other edible things; anything edible was collected. The two split up, one going clockwise and the other counterclockwise around the building, then returning to the entrance.

Just because one person had searched an area didn’t mean the ingredients were gone. Different people have different eyes for ingredients.

Sufficient ingredients allow for more choices during cooking, lowering the difficulty.

At the poultry farm, Yuzu Arisugawa found an earlier group, the popular Italian brothers, the Aldini brothers. Takumi, the older brother, was striking, and like her, already had a fan club.

They even had chuunibyou nicknames; Yuzu Arisugawa didn’t want to think about them, only silently commenting, “We blondes are all good-looking.”

The other party seemed friendly, perhaps because of their similar hair color or their equally sharp minds.

After a friendly exchange, one took a duck, the other a chicken.

Yuzu Arisugawa carried the basket with one hand, relieved.

Thankfully, they hadn’t gone so far as to make her kill the chicken herself.